New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Sign Joakim Noah To Four-Year Deal

July 8th, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8, 12:34pm: The Knicks have officially signed Noah, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JULY 1, 9:41pm: As expected, the Knicks and Noah have agree to a four-year, $72MM deal after their meeting today, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. It will be a fully guaranteed contract with no options, per Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

2:42pm: Noah has posted a photo on Instagram that shows him wearing a Knicks cap, which is a pretty strong signal that he’ll sign with the team when the moratorium ends next week.

JUNE 30, 11:58pm: Noah and the Knicks are nearing an agreement on a four-year deal worth around $72MM, sources tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

11:11pm: With free agency now open, the Knicks are discussing the framework of a deal that would be in the four-year, $70MM range, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links). The two sides will continue negotiations during their Friday afternoon meeting, per Charania.

7:05am: The Knicks are the strong favorites to land longtime Bulls big man Joakim Noah when the free agent period opens in July, according to multiple reports. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ian Begley, Shams Charania of The Vertical, and Sam Amick of USA Today all independently reported late on Wednesday night that the Knicks are in the driver’s seat in the Noah sweepstakes.

According to Charania and Amick, Noah has a meeting set up with Phil Jackson and the Knicks after free agency formally gets underway at 12:00am on July 1st. Marc Berman of The New York Post clarifies that the meeting between the two sides is expected to happen during the day on Friday, rather than late at night, but he also suggests that the Knicks are the prohibitive favorites for Noah. There’s belief on both sides that an agreement could come quickly, says Charnia.

Amick indicates within his report that Noah is still expected to consider multiple teams besides the Knicks, but those clubs have yet to line up a formal meeting with the 31-year-old. Sources tell Stein and Begley that a few teams with interest in Noah have “all but conceded” that the Knicks are No. 1 on his wish list by a sizable margin — the two-time All-Star has expressed strong interest in signing in New York in recent days, since teammate Derrick Rose was traded to the club, per the ESPN duo.

Assuming Noah and the Knicks do indeed work something out, his starting salary may end up in the range of $18MM, according to Bontemps. That would be a significant investment from the Knicks, who are expected to have over $30MM in cap room, and would likely take the team out of the running for some mid-tier free agents, in addition to max-salary players.

Noah underwent surgery on his separated left shoulder back in January, and while he should be ready to go for the 2016/17 campaign, he hasn’t played a game since that procedure. In 2015/16, he appeared in just 29 games, averaging 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brandon Jennings Sought One-Year, Make-Good Deal

July 7th, 2016 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Brandon Jennings was seeking a one-year contract from the Knicks in the hopes of proving himself and boosting his stock for 2017’s free agent period. New York, which wanted to maintain cap room for ’17, was happy to oblige.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders spoke to Courtney Lee about the veteran shooting guard’s decision to sign with the Knicks, and being recruited by Joakim Noah.

Knicks Sign Marshall Plumlee

July 7th, 2016 at 11:07am CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 7: Plumlee’s agency, Priority Sports, has officially announced the big man’s deal with the Knicks (via Twitter). According to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (via Twitter), the contract is for three years, and is fully guaranteed in year one.

JUNE 24: The Knicks and Marshall Plumlee have agreed to a free agent deal, Shams Charania of the Vertical reports (Twitter link). The details of his contract are not available yet, though Charania reports that Plumlee’s salary will be guaranteed.

Plumlee was the 81st-best prospect in this year’s class, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. He averaged 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during his senior season at Duke.

The Knicks had only five players under contract entering today, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. The team came to terms with Ron Baker earlier today, which, along with Plumlee’s agreement, brings the roster count to seven.

And-Ones: Calderon, Davis, Sullinger

July 7th, 2016 at 12:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn says the team’s offseason moves should translate into a playoff berth in 2016/17, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told Berman. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”

Here’s the latest from around the NBA:

The Bulls and Sixers had discussions about Philly acquiring Jose Calderon, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal and the point guard was traded to the Lakers instead, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
Several teams are looking to clear cap room to make a run at Bucks restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, Aldridge tweets.
Unrestricted free agent Glen Davis, who sat out last season after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments, a cyst, and bone spurs in his left ankle, has resumed basketball activities and is looking to catch on with an NBA club, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.
The Celtics face a tough decision regarding restricted free agent Jared Sullinger, with the team in need of his rebounding, but not in the position to match a large offer sheet by another team, were the big man to sign one this offseason, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
The Hawks are still actively trying to improve the team and are looking to add another frontcourt player and a point guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution notes. One big man option for Atlanta could be Kris Humphries, who expressed a desire to return during his exit interview with the team, Vivlamore adds.
Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox will have surgery to repair a broken right hand on Friday, the team announced. Wilcox was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks before he will be able to return to basketball-related activities, according to the team.
The Lakers are pleased with what they have seen in summer league play from 2016 lottery pick Brandon Ingram, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I’m very excited about what he can do,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously he’s young and there’ s a lot of work to do. This is a grown man’s league. But as far as knowing how to play the game and the skill set of being able to handle the ball, bring it up, post up, his defense — he’s been all over the place defensively, getting deflections for us — I’m very excited about the way he’s played so far.”

Could 2016 Moves Land Knicks Big-Name 2017 FA?

July 6th, 2016 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Frank Isola of The New York Daily News wonders if the Knicks will get back into the conversation for a top-tier free agent – such as Russell Westbrook – in 2017 if Phil Jackson‘s moves this summer pay off and result in a strong 2016/17 season. We asked you yesterday to make predictions for the Knicks’ forthcoming season.

Scouting Reports On Kuzminskas

July 5th, 2016 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Knicks earlier today, has been compared by some European scouts to a number of notable NBA big men, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. One overseas scout told the scribe that Kuzminskas has “Danilo Gallinari skills’’ and is a good defender, while another said his game resembles a young Dirk Nowitzki’s in style, if not in quality.
The Knicks’ primary competition for Kuzminskas’ services were the Hawks and Lakers, Berman tweets.

Knicks Sign Willy Hernangomez

July 5th, 2016 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:07am: The Knicks have formally announced Hernangomez’s signing, making it official (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: According to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News (via Twitter), Hernangomez’s deal will be for at least three years, which means the Knicks are using cap space to complete it.

3:00pm: After spending the first few days of July securing NBA free agents, the Knicks have shifted their focus to overseas players today. Having agreed to terms with Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas earlier this afternoon, New York has also struck a multiyear deal with a 2015 draftee, Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The contract will be fully guaranteed, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

Hernangomez, the 35th overall pick in last year’s draft, didn’t see much action during Euroleague play for Real Madrid this past season, posting averages of 4.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.6 minutes per Euroleague contest (10.6 games). However, the 22-year-old did shoot an impressive 64.3% from the field in his limited action.

There have been multiple reports indicating throughout the spring and summer that Hernangomez planned on joining the Knicks this offseason. A May report suggested that the 6’11” center had rejected two offers from Real Madrid, and that it would take a significant shift in momentum for him not to wind up with New York next season.

That same report in May indicated that a four-year offer would be on the way for Hernangomez, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be the case. Contracts signed using the minimum-salary exception can’t be longer than two years, but if the Knicks use cap room to sign Hernangomez to a minimum-salary deal, which they should be able to do, it could be for up to four years.

Knicks Still Have Langston Galloway's Early Bird Rights

July 5th, 2016 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Knicks rescinded Langston Galloway‘s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, the team still holds his Early Bird rights and could exceed the cap to re-sign him, notes Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas To Four-Year Deal

July 4th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FRIDAY, 2:16pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Thomas, the team announced today (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 7:10pm: The Knicks have reached a multi-year agreement with their restricted free agent forward Lance Thomas, a league source informed Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The contract is a four-year deal starting at around $6.1MM, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. That would make the contract worth approximately $27.3MM.

The 6’8” small forward, who has played five NBA seasons, averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes last season for New York while appearing in 59 games. He has also played for the Pelicans franchise and Thunder in his NBA career.

Thomas had received interest from the Thunder as well as the Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans in the free agent market.

Knicks Rescind Langston Galloway’s Qualifying Offer

July 4th, 2016 at 6:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks have rescinded their qualifying offer to shooting guard Langston Galloway, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources told Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Galloway’s qualifying offer was worth $2.725MM.

The move was likely made to fit Brandon Jennings‘ contract offer into cap space, Begley continues. The former Bucks, Pistons and Magic point guard agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal with New York on Monday. Galloway could still re-sign with the Knicks but rescinding the QO obviously reduces their bargaining power, since they could have matched an offer when he was a restricted free agent.

Galloway appeared in all 82 games in his second season with the Knicks, though he started just seven games. He averaged 7.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24.8 minutes while shooting 39.3% from the field.

The club has not renounced free agent forward Lance Thomas, so it can use Early Bird rights to sign him to a contract worth a maximum of approximately $6.2MM, Begley adds.

Several teams have shown an interest in signing Galloway, and Thomas also has a number of suitors, including the Thunder, Timberwolves, Nets and Hawks, Begley previously reported.